KANSAS CITY -- You can't make this stuff up. Just when the Royals seemed to be dragging toward yet another loss to the Chicago White Sox, electrifying drama kicked in.
Shut out for seven innings, the Royals got a go-ahead double from Jose Guillen and a two-run, inside-the-park homer from Mark Teahen in the eighth inning.
Cue closer Joakim Soria for another perfect inning of work, and the Royals had finally beaten the White Sox, 4-1, in a Thursday night game in front of 14,547 fans at Kauffman Stadium.
"It's always a relief when we win, especially the way we've lost some games this season," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "Especially in front of our fans. Hopefully they've seen there's quite a bit of character and quite a bit of fight left in these guys."
The Royals had been drained by one-run losses in the first two games of the series, giving the White Sox five straight wins over them this season. The opener was a 13-inning battle and KC blew a 5-0 lead in the second game.
Perhaps it was no surprise then, that the Royals foundered against old nemesis Mark Buehrle for seven innings. Not that the White Sox did much against Zack Greinke, either.
"Zack was outstanding, especially against the sluggers in their offense, and it's obvious how much they have, as evidenced by that fence-scraper home run that was hit off him," Hillman said.
Oh yeah, that fence-scraper.
Jermaine Dye gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when he blasted Greinke's first pitch for a sky-bomb over the waterfall that cascades high above the left-field wall. The distance was estimated at a whopping 434 feet.
"Changeup down the middle," Greinke said. "It felt really good coming out of my hand, too. It's one of those times you're like, 'Wow, that felt good.' And he crushed it."
Other than that, Greinke rolled through seven innings handily, notching eight strikeouts and impressing the White Sox.
"To me, he's one of the best pitchers in the American League," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.
Ron Mahay relieved Greinke in the eighth and pitched a perfect inning. That was the setup for the Royals' rally, as well as Soria's 24th save in the ninth.
In the eighth, John Buck led off with a single against Buehrle, who came into the came with a 16-6 record in his career against KC. David DeJesus smacked a ball off Buehrle's glove, and the White Sox attempted to turn a double play. DeJesus, though, fled down the line and was safe at first when second baseman Alexei Ramirez's relay throw was missed by first baseman Paul Konerko.
Konerko was charged with an error and DeJesus was on first with one out. Mike Aviles whistled a shot down the third-base line.
"I actually saw the replay," Aviles said. "It wasn't that far off of [Joe Crede's glove]. I'd have been real upset if Crede got hold of that one. He's been making some plays all series."
Crede couldn't get it, though, and Aviles found himself on second base with a game-tying double to chase Buehrle from the game. Reliever Octavio Dotel got the second out, inducing a pop up from Mark Grudzielanek.
Guillen, who was 0-for-7 in his career against Dotel, then came to the plate and blasted a double over center fielder Nick Swisher to score Aviles with the go-ahead run.
"I got a good swing on it," Guillen said. "I knew it was over his head. I hit that ball good."
Now Kauffman Stadium was rocking. Lefty Boone Logan was summoned from the White Sox bullpen to face Teahen.
Teahen clubbed a long shot into right-center field, and set sail while Guillen scored. Swisher got the ball to Ramirez, who hesitated just long enough.
Third-base coach Luis Silverio was waving Teahen home. Kicking into hyper-gear, he headed home and dove across the plate, ahead of Ramirez's belated throw.
"When I hit it, I was going hard, making sure I got a triple, but Luis was just really aggressive with me," Teahen said. "And I trust him; He hasn't run me into too many outs. And it worked out."
Hillman bowed to Silvero as well.
"The only thing I told him was 'Great read, great job,'" Hillman said. "I would say most of it had to do with the distance. We know that Ramirez had a pretty good arm, but he was out there a pretty good ways."
Teahen's shot was his 10th homer this season, and his second inside-the-parker. He's the first Royal to have two inside jobs in a season since Brian McRae in 1992.
"They're starting to get kind of boring," Teahen deadpanned.
Yeah, just like this game was boring.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Kansas City right-hander Zack Greinke in many ways acts very much like an average 24-year-old. He keeps an eye on the tabloids, he likes Brad Pitt movies, he loves his girlfriend and he really loves him some Chipotle Mexican food (carnitas burrito, por favor).
In other ways, he's not like many 24-year-olds at all. He takes the time to watch sunsets, he makes quaint but succinct observations about the nature of baseball and he's confronting problems with his own mental health.
Oh, and his girlfriend isn't the typical gal pal, either, being a beauty pageant queen and a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.
One of the game's best young pitchers and an underrated conversationalist, Greinke recently dropped what he was doing for a unique and introspective session with the Answer Man.
Q: What do you think of the fountains at Kauffman Stadium?
Zack Greinke: Well, one thing is, when you're warming up in the bullpen, they'll spray you sometimes and get you wet.
ZG: I've never noticed the sound before; not in a positive way.
Q: So you don't like the sound either? Does it distract?
ZG: In a very, very small way. Sometimes.
Q: If you continue to be a success in the majors, you could buy and operate your own Chipotle. Other than the World Series, is that the goal?
ZG: Nah. It's just not that big of a big deal.
Q: Where do you stand on the Kansas City barbecue scene?
ZG: I don't think... I've probably been [to a barbecue place] two times in my career there. Not real high on that. Just because... I'd rather eat something else.
Q: Such as?
ZG: Chipotle.
Q: Ever wonder how Missouri gets away with using the name "Kansas City" when Kansas is the state next door?
ZG: I probably thought about that a lot when I was younger — I'm talking, like, middle school and stuff — but it is really weird that it happened. It's really tricky, especially if you try and get people to guess the capital of Kansas. A lot of them probably would say "Kansas City."
Q: What is the capital of Kansas?
ZG: Topeka.
Q: And of Missouri?
ZG: Is it Jefferson City?
Q: High five, very good. Were you into your capitals in middle school?
ZG: We had a test on it, but I've forgotten a lot of them over the years. At one time, I think I would have known them all. Maybe not all of them.
Q: What kind of teachers were your parents?
ZG: My dad was a history teacher. And he was also into geography, which is exactly what we were just talking about. He would get into all that.
Q: You have described each baseball game as being "like a little play." That's poetic. Would you elaborate?
ZG: I've said that before? I was in a moment. Like a "play"? It is like a play — there's so many different parts going on at the same time. I don't know what it's really like to be in a play but unless you understand the game, a lot of things — little mistakes — the average person probably doesn't realize that they were actually made. And then, with really good plays, an average person probably doesn't understand the time and effort that make it come together. It's nice when the game's played the right way.
Q: If everyone in the Royals clubhouse started kung fu fighting, who would emerge as grand champion?
ZG:[Miguel] Olivo. That's just what everyone says, so I'll take their word for it.
Q: When George Brett comes down to the clubhouse, do the rookies throw rose pedals at his feet?
ZG: Nah. It's just kind of a normal thing now when he comes down. At least for me. At first, it was kind of neat — even though I stayed at his house my first year. He has a presence about him, even if you didn't know who he was, so it's always neat to see him, but now I just continue to do the regular stuff I was doing before.
Q: You were a boarder of George Brett's?
ZG: Yeah, I was like 20. I was mainly just saving money [laughs], which I probably didn't need to do, but it was nice to have the extra $1,000 a month, or whatever. That was probably the best part about it.
Q: Did you have any chores?
ZG: No, I never really saw the rest of the family much. I stayed in an extra room. They had kids at school.
Q: When you went on your hiatus in 2006, what did you do with yourself all day?
ZG: Fish a little bit, golf a little bit, hung out with friends and girlfriend — that was the main thing. Then, after a couple of weeks, I tried to start to figure out how to get things right.
Q: Do you always remember to take your meds?
ZG: I don't think I've been, like, over three days without taking them. After then, that's when you start to notice it. I'll probably take them six times a week. I don't take 'em every day, but I try to.
Q: Do they have any side effects you don't like?
ZG: Makes me tired, kind of, but it's worth it. If I don't take it for a while, I get dizzy.
ZG: Probably not too far away. About 10 years. That's my guess.
Q: OK! I can hold out for 10 years.
ZG: Actually, probably longer than that.
Q: But, you said...
ZG: There definitely will be flying cars, but whether there'll be flying cars for most people to use, it'll probably take a long time to straighten everything out, all the rules and hassles. It'll take a while to figure out how to keep people from crashing into each other.
ZG:My girlfriend (Emily Kuchar). I'm definitely rooting for her.
Q: What has to happen for her to win?
ZG: It's kind of weird. I've talked to her about it. When you get to that level, it's kind of tough. You're picking the best. How do you choose? It's almost like flipping a coin. She's got the talent to do it, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone in these pageants that you go, "Whoa, she stands out."
Q: There's an interview part of the competition; do you think she can nail it and set herself apart?
ZG: She'll be a lot better than me at interviews. She's been practicing a lot. She's got a coach for it and everything. I watched some of last year's Miss USA [national] pageant and in a couple of the interviews [the contestant] didn't do a good job — to the point that it cost her. The girl that won last year, I thought she was the best, most mature interview. They picked her because she's going to handle herself well and do a great job [considering] the problems they've had in the past with it.
Q: You know how beauty pageants have the part where the contestant might go, "If I had a chance to save the world, this is what I'd do"? What would you do, Zack Greinke, to make the world a better place?
ZG: [Long, thoughtful pause]. Tough one, obviously. If you had a good leader that could reach people and convince as many people as possible to act a certain way and somehow get them to pass it on to other people and then have those people pass it on ... I don't know how you actually get that started but one of the guys running for president right now seems like a pretty good place to start.
Q: Is that an endorsement for ... ?
ZG: No one. I don't feel comfortable doing that. But he seems like a good place to start.
Q: I've read that you purposely put off doing your math homework just so you could go to the library where Emily worked and then did the work there.
ZG: I'm sure it was all sorts of homework. Math's my best subject, but you always have homework in math, so that's probably why. And, I had math right after lunchtime. First of all, lunchtime was my least favorite time in the entire world. So, when I saw her at the library, I said, "I don't want to look like a loser going to the library during lunch, but... I've got two positives. One, I hate lunch. Two, I could try to put some moves on her." A friend of mine from math class, I did the homework with her in the library and she was a friend of Emily's. As time went on, after a couple weeks of doing that, it started to turn into something. I'm real happy I did that.
ZG: I just had to communicate with all the people. It's the time to "try to be cool" and everything. I just don't go out of my way to be like that. I was not good at that stuff. There were other people I wanted to sit with more than the people I "had" to sit with. I remember bringing some of my other friends to our table and everyone at our table would look at them and ask me, "What are you doing? Why'd you bring him?" It was annoying high school stuff that still goes on now. My high school was really bad.
ZG: Their head person is just as good as Parcells is at his job. She's intense. But it's probably good for the girls.
Q: What about an All-Star Celebrity Double Date; you and Emily along with Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson [if they're still together]?
ZG: No, I'm not a fan of them. We could try to think of someone else we could do it with. But not them.
Q: Do they irritate you?
ZG: She ... no comment. I'd much rather it be Tom Brady and Gisele. There's probably someone better than them, too. Definitely them two over Tony and Jessica Simpson.
Q: Do you appreciate the transition Rick Ankiel is making from pitcher to hitter?
ZG: Yeah, and he's making it look pretty easy too. Great athlete. I wish I had a chance to do it, but I kind of can't. That probably would be the most exciting way to have make it — two different ways. That's like a lifetime dream of mine. You can't do it if you're pitching even decent. The organization won't let you. He's living my dream right now.
Q: You're really proud of your home run, aren't you?
ZG: Yeah, and I got a double this year. I'm 2-for-[5] this year. I've been looking forward to getting some more at-bats.
Q: Does "A River Runs Through It" speak to you because of the fly fishing?
ZG: A little bit; it's more Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt has something about him to where, he's played different characters in all his movies and every single time after he's done, I want to be him. Each character he plays — if he's a tough guy, if he's a serial killer — he just does it to you. He does it to me. I want to be him.
Q: Do you think he could pull off your life on film?
ZG: No, I'm too boring for him. But actually, one of my friend calls me ... [snapping fingers] the "Meet Joe Black Guy," so I guess he could. I am like him — the guy who liked the peanut butter in the spoon?
Q: Um...
ZG: Joe Black was the devil, kind of, and he killed some guy and took over his body to do his job. I've got the same kind of sense of humor as that guy.
ZG: The last time I remember truly enjoying it was in Arizona — just watching it over the mountains and stuff. I haven't gotten into that in a while. It's something that, when I'm done with baseball, I can relax enough to start to enjoy that again. To wake up when the sun comes up and enjoy that and then, when the sun goes down, to have a nice property or house where I could watch it on my porch when I'm older. It would be peaceful.
David Brown is a regular contributor to Big League Stew and writes Morning Juice, which runs Monday-Friday in the a.m. Answer Man is a regular feature on BLS.
Greinke signs with Yankees! (But not that Greinke)
By JEFFREY FLANAGAN
The Kansas City Star
Luke Greinke
It’s the headline that every Royals fan dreads: “Greinke signs with Yankees.”
In this case, it’s absolutely true: Greinke has signed with the Yankees.
But it’s not Zack Greinke.
Zack’s younger brother, Luke, who was drafted in the 12th round by the Yankees, signed a deal with them last week.
Of course, that does set up the possibility that when Zack becomes a free-agent down the road, we could someday be sadly looking at the Greinke brothers in the Yankees’ rotation.
“You never know, I guess,” said Don Greinke, the boys’ father. “That would be pretty crazy.”
But none of that is a big concern for the Greinkes right now.
“We’re just thrilled that Luke got picked and then signed,” Don said. “I know Zack is really happy for him, too. They are very close brothers and just good friends. I know Zack really encourages Luke.”
So, was Don hoping that Luke would end up with his brother in the Royals organization?
“Well, sure, as a family, that would have been pretty convenient,” Don said. “But then again, I think we would have always wondered if Luke had been drafted just because he’s Zack’s brother. Now, we know that Luke got drafted just on his own merit.”
Don said that there had been some interest from the Royals.
“Their area scout talked to Luke and was real nice to him,” Don said. “Then as the draft was getting closer, the Yankees really made the most contact.”
Luke, who played three years at Auburn, is nearly the same build as Zack — 6 feet 2, 200 pounds.
“They’re very similar in that they’re both good athletes,” Don said. “They both can play the field, and both can hit really well. Luke has been a closer before, and last year with Auburn he started. He got his velocity up from 89 (mph) to 92 or 93, and that’s when he started to get the attention from scouts.
“I’m not sure if he’ll be a starter or a closer in the Yankees’ system. But he’s definitely going to work exclusively as a pitcher.”
Luke, a right-hander as well, turned 22 on Saturday.
Scapegoat
Yes, that indeed was former Royals hitting coach Jeff Pentland who was fired by the Mariners last week. Pentland was fired by the Royals in 2005 as a bit of a scapegoat for the team’s 13-37 start.
Pentland again was made the scapegoat for the Mariners’ dreadful start.
Pentland made his name by working with Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Edgar Renteria in their younger days. Sammy Sosa often credits Pentland for his success (enter steroid jokes now).
Ex-Chief sighting
Former Chiefs quarterback Jeff Terrell, the rookie from Princeton who got a few Chiefs fans excited last preseason before being released, was spotted trying to make the Dallas Cowboys’ roster during workouts last month.
To reach Jeffrey Flanagan, call 816-234-4492 and leave a message or send e-mail to jflanagan@kcstar.com
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Zack Greinke's electric stuff carried him through seven shutout innings against Arizona Diamondbacks.
06/14/2008 2:42 AM ET
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
PHOENIX -- Nothing was really perfect about the pitching on Friday night at Chase Field, except for the string of zeros that stretched across the scoreboard.
Finally, though, the string was broken in the bottom of the 10th inning when Chad Tracy launched a home run into the right-field stands to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 1-0 victory over the Royals.
Tracy's dinger came on a 0-2 pitch from reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta.
"It was a changeup. I wanted a groundout or a swing and a miss," Yabuta said through a translator. "It was a bad pitch."
Tracy rounded the bases and jumped into a band of teammates at home plate as 33,323 fans roared their approval. The celebration set the scene for the fireworks that followed in the hot Arizona air.
"That's my first big league walk-off home run," Tracy said. "I don't think there's any better feeling in baseball than winning a game with a walk-off home run."
In a touch of irony, the victory went to Billy Buckner, a right-hander the Royals traded last winter for Alberto Callaspo. Buckner had just been recalled from Triple-A Tucson and worked the 10th inning in his D-backs debut.
Zack Greinke and Arizona left-hander Doug Davis amassed long lines of zeros on the scoreboard, each throwing seven innings before being relieved.
"Davis kept us off-balance, Zack pitched out of jams. A little wild but didn't give up any damage," Royals manager Trey Hillman said.
Greinke proved to be a nimble dodger. Having uncommon control problems, he loaded the bases in both the second and third innings. Each time he escaped.
His most satisfying moment came in third. After two strikeouts and Stephen Drew's single, Greinke issued two walks to fill 'em up.
"Just a good hitting team. They're usually aggressive, so I was trying to make good pitches and not give them any pitches to hit," Greinke said.
Now, however, there was no room on the bases and Mark Reynolds was up.
"I got myself in a jam just pitching around people," Greinke said. "With him, I got 2-2 and I just had a feeling he'd chase a high fastball, and I threw a fastball right at his stomach, middle away, and he took it.
"And I was like, 'Golly, I don't know how he took it.' So I threw another one to the same exact spot and he swung."
Yep, on what could have been ball four to force in a run, Reynolds went down swinging.
"It was exciting," Greinke said.
Through seven innings, Greinke had walked a career-high seven (one intentionally), but he gave up just three hits, all singles. That was it. After 111 pitches, Greinke yielded to Ramon Ramirez.
Davis, making his fifth start since returning from thyroid cancer surgery, also wiggled out of jams. In the first inning, a walk and Alex Gordon's single plus a wild pitch put runners at second and third to no avail.
After his seven innings, Davis was relieved by right-hander Chad Qualls. Davis survived six hits and four walks by forcing the Royals to strand nine runners.
"He takes his time releasing the ball," said Joey Gathright, who had two of the Royals' hits. "Most of the time, you expect something hard but you get 82 [mph]. You've just got to stay back. He pitched well."
As the game went into extra innings, the Royals got a break but couldn't take advantage of it. Mark Grudzielanek's line drive off Buckner was caught at grass-top level by right fielder Justin Upton.
Umpire Ted Barrett ruled Upton trapped the ball and Grudzielanek had a one-out single. After D-backs manager Bob Melvin objected, Barrett called a council of all four umpires, but the call stood.
"I guess the replay showed that he did catch it, but [Barrett] saw him short-hop it. If you're not 100 percent sure, you want to try to get it right," Melvin said. "It was a tough call for anyone on the run like that. I give Ted credit for trying to get it right."
The single came to naught. Gordon, who had two singles earlier, rapped a double-play grounder.
The top of the 10th was over. A few minutes later, the bottom of the 10th -- and the game -- would be as well.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Greinke's solid start spoiled by Twins
05/29/2008 1:56 AM ET
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
KANSAS CITY -- This 10th straight loss really hit a nerve.
The Royals blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning and lost, 9-8, in 10 innings to the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night as 13,621 stunned fans watched at Kauffman Stadium.
Reliever Joel Peralta gave up a three-run homer to pinch-hitter Craig Monroe that tied the score in the ninth and then surrendered a game-winning homer to Justin Morneau on his first pitch of the 10th.
It was one of the most devastating losses in recent memory and, afterward, left fielder Jose Guillen defended manager Trey Hillman and chastised the players, including himself.
"This is all on us," Guillen said. "This is not about what kind of moves the manager made. He cares about us and he wants to win more than anyone. He's preparing every single day to win and works hard every day. And we've been letting him down.
"We've got 25 people. We've got to play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team. We've got too many babies here. They don't know how to play the game and play the game right, the way it's supposed to be played."
Certainly this game was not played the way it should have been, not after starter Zack Greinke pitched well for eight innings and the Royals took an 8-3 lead into the ninth.
That cushy lead was built, in part, with three hits each by Joey Gathright and Alex Gordon, two RBIs by Miguel Olivo, and, yes, an RBI single by Guillen.
Greinke was excused after a career-high 117 pitches, and Hillman turned over the ninth inning to reliever Ramon Ramirez. There was a big lead and, besides, closer Joakim Soria had thrown two innings and 31 pitches in Tuesday night's 12-inning loss to the Twins. He was on the don't-use list.
"I'm not willing to possibly jeopardize the rest of the season with one of our biggest strengths and that was our closer," Hillman said.
"I'd have loved to have had him, I'd have loved to have pitched him, but we've got a lot more games left."
Ramirez got two strikeouts, but got into trouble with four singles that scored two runs.
"That stuff doesn't happen normally," said Greinke. "I mean, Ramirez didn't make any bad pitches the whole time. The balls that were hit weren't hit that hard. It just happened."
That prompted Hillman to summon Peralta. His options were further limited because hard-throwing Leo Nunez was out with an injury that put him on the disabled list after the game. Left-handers Ron Mahay and Jimmy Gobble had pitched two innings each on Tuesday night.
"We didn't have anybody else available. I mean we had [Yasuhiko] Yabuta," Hillman said.
Peralta arrived to face Monroe, batting for Alexi Casilla. The count ran full, and Monroe lined a three-run shot just over the left-field wall.
The score was tied, 8-8.
"I got beat. Home run. I made mistakes and I paid for it," Peralta said. "That's all."
The Royals couldn't do anything in their half of the ninth. Morneau led off the Twins' 10th and belted Peralta's first pitch into the right-field bullpen.
"I just threw the pitch down. I thought it was a good pitch, but he's a good hitter and he hit it," Peralta said.
Closer Joe Nathan arrived for the bottom half and shut down the Royals one-two-three. The losing streak had reached 10 and, with the Detroit Tigers winning, the Royals were alone in last place in the American League Central.
And Guillen was sounding off.
"We don't get the job done. That's it. There are too many guys get one hit, do this, do that and it's like they've given up because they don't care. Everybody. Twenty-five people, including me. Everybody.
"We have too many babies here that don't know how to play the game. We're going to teach them the hard way or we'll teach them the easy way. But things are going to change in here, I'm going to tell you that. I can promise you that. It's going to change. And soon."
One thing that would not change this night, though, was the despair felt by Peralta -- not for himself, he said, but because he let his teammates down.
"I won't sleep tonight, for sure," he said.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Greinke gets a boost from domes
05/23/2008 1:31 AM ET
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
BOSTON -- Zack Greinke should feel right at home at Rogers Centre at Toronto.
"I like all domes," he said. "The weather is always good and I think that's why [I like them], because you can always have batting practice and it's not real hot or real cold and it's just nice.
"You don't have to worry about the wind blowing straight out one game or all the different things that can happen with it. You just know what it's going to be like, and that's how it is."
Not that he's been gangbusters at what used to be known as SkyDome. He's 1-2 there with a 5.50 ERA in three games.
Greinke did pitch his first career complete game there on May 10, 2005, although he lost the decision. It wasn't a good day for the Royals at all. Then-manager Tony Pena resigned after the game.
This season, Greinke has marked his return to the rotation, after spending much of 2007 in the bullpen, with magnificent results. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his nine starts, the longest such streak to begin a season since 1992, when Kevin Appier did it in his first 12 starts. As of Thursday, his ERA was third-best in the American League.
Even so, Greinke has not been pleased with his work in the last game or two. He's gotten away from his bread-and-butter, which is attacking the strike zone with good stuff.
How does that happen?
"You give up a couple hits and you not necessarily try something else, [but] you try to do more than you mean to do," Greinke said. "It's one of those things that, once it's in your mind, you think you have to be that much better.
"Then you get behind a count -- and that's why I think Luke [Hochevar] didn't pitch that good the other day -- he just got behind in the count and you can't constantly do that. You have to get ahead in the count. That's what I need to get back to doing."
Pitching matchup KC: RHP Zack Greinke (5-1, 2.18 ERA)
Greinke toiled through six innings in 91-degree heat on Sunday afternoon at Miami and notched his fifth victory. He gave up nine hits, but yielded just three runs, while his teammates rolled up a big score. The three runs matched the high he's given up in any of his nine starts -- and that's happened just twice. He's gone less than six innings just once so far. Greinke started on April 25 against the Blue Jays and held them to one run in seven innings, although he had no decision.
TOR: RHP Roy Halladay (4-5, 3.38 ERA)
Halladay was originally supposed to start on Tuesday, but after going 2 1/3 innings in relief against the Phillies on Sunday -- his first relief appearance since July 2, 2001 -- the right-hander's turn was moved to Friday. Coming out of the bullpen to pitch against Philadelphia, Halladay was extremely effective, needing just 23 pitches to complete his outing. Facing Minnesota in his last start, the Toronto ace tossed 6 2/3 innings to record the win. He allowed four runs on nine hits, walking none and striking out eight.
Crown points
Outfielder David DeJesus still has some trouble with his right ankle which he injured first in Spring Training and again on Opening Day. "Just once in a while, if I slide on it or if I turn too quick in the batter's box," he said, "it hurts for a little bit and then I've just got to give it time and then probably 10 or 20 seconds later, it's fine." ... Prospect Jason Smith's 11th home run sent Triple-A Omaha into extra innings and the Royals won, 4-3, in the 12th over Iowa on Wednesday. Smith's professional high was 1
Kansas City right-hander 
Q: Where do you stand on the Kansas City 
ZG: My dad was a history teacher. And he was also into geography, which is exactly what we were just talking about. He would get into all that.
Q: You were a boarder of George Brett's?
Q: You were once called "
Q: You know how beauty pageants have the part where the contestant might go, "If I had a chance to save the world, this is what I'd do"? What would you do, Zack Greinke, to make the world a better place?
Q: What about an All-Star Celebrity Double Date; you and Emily along with 
![[Miguel] Olivo](http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2007/09/large_metsfightL.jpg){kind=link}
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